Child&#39;s bootie construction



June 1956 M. c. MARTIN ETAL 2,748,501

CHILD'S BOOTIE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 18, 1953 thongs, tie or laces.

United States Patent 2,748,501 cams Boornr CONSTRUCTION Mildred C. Martin, Atherton, andQI-Iel'en Price'Sheaifer,

Menlo Park, Califi, assignors to-Kidlets, Inc. acorporation of California Application December 1s,-'195s, stns11s0. 399,068 6 Claims. (ores-11 It is a further object of 'our invention to: provide 'a blankof this type which will make full useofthe leather stock from whieh'it is formed and which will ensure the maximum by way of labor' 'and time saving during the production of thefi nished product. v

It is aiurther object of this invention particularly to provide that the laces, thongs or ties Will be formed integrally with the remainder of the bootie ormocc'asin from an original single blank. As will be further pointed out herein these thongs are provided from a pairfof spirals originating at the-point to which they are adapted to be secured to the bootie. v

It is a further object of this invention to provide fo'otwear for small children which will provide a comfortable, attractive foot covering which is provided with the least number of seams and which will afford the greatest freedom and flexibility for the wearer. All of'these advantages are well known tofthe pediatrician.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bootie which may be made from a single blank which will provide a contoured instep and a heel of the type which tends to provide a snug fit. It is a further object of this invention to provide a bootie which may be formed from a single blank which will provide generous space for the infants toes.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a preferred form of blank;

Figure 2 represents'a side view of a completed bootie which may be formed from the blank illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 represents a rear view -of a bootie formed from the blank shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 represents a modified blank in which the thongs are not formed integrally therewith and whichprovides a box toe construction;

Figure 5 is a rear view of a bootie formed from the blank illustrated in Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a front view of the bootie formed from the blank shown in Figure 4.

As indicated generally in Figure 1, a blank 'is formed to provide a sole piece which may begenerally'des'ignated by the numeral 10. As will more fully hereinafter be explained, the various portions of the blank are designated as general areas or zones rather than specifically defined portions inasmuch as the sole and upper will be formed of the same piece of material and it will be difiicult todisting uish one from the other. However, generally surrounding the sole area 10 we have provided side upper zones 11 and 12 and a toe zone 13. The toe zone13 is formed generally as indicated and may be said to be symmetrically curved. The side upper zones 11 and 12 are provided with substantially identical top zone portions 14 and16 which are likewise cut as shown in the blank. A pair of rear side upper portions 17 and 18 are also provided, as' is also a rearwardly extending heel'upper orcounter portion 19 to the remote end of whichfthe're issecureda pair of spirally cut thongs 21. The portions 14 and 16 are adapted to be secured to the toe upper portion 13 by means of suitable stitching in such a manner that the edge 14a will be secured to the edge 13a and the edge 16a will be stitched to the edge 13b, and the two seams formed thereby will form, in effect, a single transverse seam 13c as indicated in Figure 2 which will extend from one side of the bootie around the toe to the other side. However there will be 'no vertical seam in the toe of the bootie. Any discrepancy in' length between the combined lengths of the portions14a and 16a and the combined lengths of the portions 13a and 13b will be taken up by pleating or puckering' of the material as the portions are stitched together.

Theedges 14b and 16b may be'stitched together to form 'asingle longitudinal 'upper seam as illustrated in Figure'2, thereby completing the front upper portion or, the bootie.

The edges 17a and 18a are next sewn to the edges 19a and 19b respectively to form vertical seams 17c and 18d and the edges 17b and 18b are then sewn together to form seam'13c as indicated in Figure 3. The thongs 21 may beslipped' through suitable slits 22 and may be tied in front as indicated generally in Figure 2.

It will be aparent from the foregoing that we have provided a single'blank'from which a bootie may be formed to provide a comfortable roomy toe portion and a suitableheelportion which tends to grip the heel snugly. The leastpossi'ble number of seams are provided to preventchafing the childs foot. It must also be borne in mind that seams tend to form rigid strips or portions and the elimination of seams thereby tends to reduce the rigid portions of a bootie and to enhance the flexibility of the f entire structure.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a bootie which may be made from a single blank and which will utilize, with the least waste, the greatest portion of a piece of leather. .It will further be observed that we have provided a blank which may be sewn together simply. Because of its design and the pre-determining of the position and length of edges which are to be stitched together, it is ditiicult, if not impossible, to change the end product, with the result that all booties which are made from the same size blanks will be substantially identical and the minimum of fittings of either the bootie or the fitting'of the pieces from which the bootie is made is required. It has been observed, for example, that where booties are made from a number of pieces that the finished products vary widely in shape, size, appearance and ultimate finish. 7 These difficulties are not present in booties made from our improved single blank.

In the modifications illustrated in Figures 4-, 5 and 6 we have provided a blank which is similar in many respects to that illustrated in Figure l with the exception,h0wever, that the thongs 21 are not secured to the rear portion 19 as they are in Figure l, but a loose thong is provided. The use of a loose thong permits the construction illustrated in Figure 5 in which the thong is passed through various slits 22 in the bootie but is not secured thereto in the manner as indicated in Figure 1. This is less advantageous in many respects than the utilization of the thong illustrated in Figure 1. For example, the thong 21 may be stitched on at the remote end of the upper heel portion 19 as shown in Figure to prevent the thong 21 from riding up on the heel. Furthermore, with the construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 the ends of the thong are always even and it is not necessary to continually adjust the thong. This is not true of otherbooties with separate thongs. However, the unstitched thong has the advantage of reducing the size of the blank and the complexity of the blank and also has the added advantage of permitting a type of construction whereby a thong may be made of different material than the rest of the bootie.

The primary difference, however, in the two forms is in the construction of the toe portion. As illustrated in Figure 4 the blank therein is provided with a toe portion 23 and a pair of identical forwardly extending flaps 24 and 26. The upper side portions27 and 28 are curved as are the corresponding portions 14 and 16 of Figure 1. When the various portions are stitched together the edges 23a and 24a are sewn together to form seam 31 as viewed in Figure 6. The edges 23b and 26a are joined to form seam 32 as viewed in Figure 6. The edges 24b and 26b are joined together to form the seam 33 as viewed in Figure 6. The edges 24c and 27a are joined to form the seam 34 and the edges 26c and 28a are joined to form the seam 35 as shown in Figure 6.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a more nearly box-like or box type toe by the utilization of the blank illustrated in Figure 4. This type of toe has certain advantages and may be more desirable in certain circumstances. However, it will be observed that as in Figure 1 the blank in Figure 4 provides a one piece bootie with the fewest number of seams, for the particular type of toe desired, whereby the various manufacturing and comfort advantages previously outlined in connection with the blank illustrated in Figure 1 will likewise be found in the blank illustrated in Figure 2.

It is apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a particular type of bootie which is adaptable to a substantial number of designs and types and which will provide, from a pediatric and orthopedic standpoint, a highly desirable product. Likewise from the manufacturing standpoint it provides a highly desirable product in that ease of manufacture is made possible and also the unnecessary waste of leather is substantially eliminated. The utilization of a single blank which may be formed as easily as has been previously pointed out also eliminates problems of labor as well as those of material. All booties cut from blanks of the same shape and size will be substantially identical and the opportunity for error is decreased to an irreducible minimum.

Other particular advantages of our type of bootie will, of course, have been obvious at this time. It should be noted, however, that our particular one piece construction of the type illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive provides that there are no inside seams to chafe the childs foot, although, as shown in Figure 6, the seam 33 is indicated as an inside seam, it too, may be an outside seam if desired. However, we have found that the utilization of a single inside seam 33 does not materially affect the bootie inasmuch as that seam may be trimmed and will not engage the childs foot. We have also found that by the utilization of the blank illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 a substantially contour-fitted bootie is provided.

It is also to be noted that the blanks illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 are particularly adaptable for the use of flexible leathers but it is also apparent that in larger sizes, and if desired, a heavier sole portion may be stitched to the portion to provide a stiffer and longer wearing bootie for children. Moreover, we have discovered that because of the minimum number of seams, that a more resilient bootie is formed which tends to conform itself to the wearers foot with the result that hampering or confining of the foot is reduced to a minimum. We have noted, for example, that in booties or moccasins which are sewn at the sole line a binding or hampering effect tends to occur and booties so formed do not lend themselves so readily to irregularities of the childs foot or to different sizes or shapes of childrens feet and thereby tend to either squeeze the toes or otherwise hamper freedom of movement of the infants foot.

We claim:

1. A blank of flexible material for a childs bootie, said blank comprising a sole piece, a pair of side portions formed integral with the sole piece, a toe portion formed integral with said side portions and said sole piece, a pair of top portions formed integral with said side portions, portions of the outer edges of said top portions extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece, and other portions of the outer side edges of said top portion extending at obtuse angles with respect to said first named portions of the outer side edges, the forward edges of said top portions being curved and substantially in line with the forward edge of said toe portions, a pair of rear side portions formed integral with said sole piece and said side portions, curved cut lines separating said rear side portions from said top portions, the rear edges of said rear side portions extending at an angle of substantially 45 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece, a heel portion integrally attached to said sole piece, the side edges of said heel portion extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece, and a plurality of slits in said rear side portions and said top portions.

2. A blank as in claim 1 together with a pair of flaps formed integral with said side portions and toe portion, said flaps extending substantially beyond the forward edges of said toe and upper top portions, the side edges of said flaps being substantially parallel'to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece.

3. A blank as in claim 1 together with thongs formed integral with said heel portion, said thongs being cut in a spiral form.

4. A childs bootie formed of flexible material cornprising a blank formed of one piece of flexible material cut so as to produce a sole piece, a pair of side portions formed integral with the sole piece, a toe portion formed integral with said side portions and said sole piece, a pair of top portions formed integral with said side portions, portions of the outer side edges of said top portions extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece, and other portions of the outer side edges of said top portions extending at obtuse angles with respect to said first named portions of the outer side edges, the forward side edges of said top portions being curved and substantially in line with the forward edge of said toe portion, a pair of rear side portions integral with said sole piece and said side portions, curved cut lines separating said rear side portions from said top portions, the rear edges of said rear side portions extending at an angle of substantially 45 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said sole piece, the forward edges of the toe portions and the top portions being sewn together to form an outer seam extending in a plane parallel to the sole piece, the seam being a substantial distance above the sole piece to form the toe portion of the shoe, the outer side edges of said top portions being joined together to form an outer seam extending in a plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the sole piece and perpendicular to the sole piece .to form the top portion and tongue of the shoe, the rear edges of the rear side portions being joined together to form a vertical outer seam to form the heel of the bootie, the vertical outer seam extending from the top of the heel portion to a point substantially equidistant from the top and the bottom of the heel portion, other edges of the rear side portions being joined to the heel portion to form a pair of vertical seams spaced on opposite sides of the first named vertical seam and extending from the sole piece approximately one half of the distance between the bottom and the top of the heel of the bootie.

5. A bootie as in claim 4 wherein the blank in addition includes a pair of flaps formed integral With the side portions and the toe portion, the flaps extending substantially beyond the front edges of said toe and top portions, the side edges of the flaps being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sole piece, the flaps and the top portions being joined together to form an outer seam extending in a plane parallel to the sole piece and a substantial distance above the sole piece and the other side edges or" the flaps being joined to the toe portion to form an outer seam extending in a plane parallel to and adjacent the sole piece to form a box-like toe in the bootie.

6. A childs shoe formed of a flexible material comprising a sole piece, a pair of side portions secured to said sole piece, a pair of top portions formed integral with the side portions, the upper edges of the top portions being joined together to form a seam extending longitudinally of the sole piece and lying in a plane coincident with the longitudinal axis of the sole piece, a toe portion integral with the side portion and having its upper edge joined to the top portions to form a seam extending in a plane parallel to the sole piece, a pair of rear side portions integral with the side portions and secured to the sole piece, a heel portion secured to the sole piece, the side edges of the heel portion being joined to the rear side portions to form a pair of substantially parallel vertical seams, and a pair of thongs integrally connected to said heel portion and being threaded through slits in the rear side portions and the top portions, the ends of the thongs being adapted to be tied to secure the shoe onto the childs foot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 126,450 Drown May 7, 1872 1,248,147 Meyer Nov. 27, 1917 1,272,137 Smith July 9, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,540 France Jan. 5, 1934 

